PastForward
by Eternal Density
Summary: When Doc takes his family back to the 19th century, reality changes yet again. But why? They must go back to the future to find out before it's too late and everyone is erased from existence.
1. Changing times or locations?

Past-Forward

Disclaimer: I don't own BTTF, Hill Valley, any BTTF characters or vehicles, etc. (If I did, I'd be earning a cut of the royalties from all the fanfic writers I'd be licensing.) There's about 3 (so far) characters which you don't recognise, cos I own them. So don't take them, ok? Just enjoy reading, and everything will be fine. Oh, and I'm avoiding use of bad language.

Author's note: I've posted the entirety of this fic in a friend's forum, but since the message board style isn't really the best thing to read, I thought I'd post the whole thing up on (gradually). If you want to read the whole thing in BBCode, just go to my bio and click the link.

This story is basically a continuation of The Trilogy. (emphasis on 'The') It starts a few years after the Browns returned from the past after 'dropping in' on Marty at the railroad track.

Enjoy.

Chapter 1 

6:30 PM

Oct 5 1895

Hill Valley California

"We're doin' what?"

This question came from the seven-year-old Verne Brown. He stared at his parents with wide eyes and open mouth.

"We are moving, Verne," his mother Clara answered gently.

"Away from Hill Valley? And from all my friends?"

Doctor Emmett Brown's brown eyes twinkled at his son's question. "We are indeed moving away from Hill Valley, but not away from quite all of your friends. Jules is coming with us, of course."

"Aw man!"

"Now, now, Verne," his mother chided. "Don't speak like that about Jules. He is your brother, you know. Now say you are sorry."

Verne paused for a moment, as if contemplating his mother's request. Then he finally muttered, "Jules, I'm sorry you're my brother."

Jules, who was standing across the room, opened his mouth to protest. Fortunately, his father got in first. "Verne!" he boomed. "Don't show such disrespect for your brother, and also your mother. I understand that the recent revelation of our impending departure from this town may be disturbing for you, but it is no excuse for this type of behaviour. I suggest you go to your room until you have a better attitude, young man."

Verne looked stricken, then quickly walked out of the living room and to his bedroom.

Emmett sighed. "I was afraid he might act like that. Unfortunately, just because you know something is going to happen, it doesn't mean you can do anything to stop it."

Jules nodded from across the room, understanding his father's last words as a partial reference to time-travel. It was fun being in a family that owned such unconventional devices as time machines, but it could be stressful at times. Like now. He was sure this move had something to do with the fact that his family should not even exist. "Dad, is this move to do with time-travel? Are we going to the future?" he asked with a little excitement.

"In answer to the first question, I say 'partly'," his father answered. "As you are well aware, I do not belong in this time, and thus my children do not either. Anything we do could affect the future of Hill Valley, which is the future home of my past self. Any changes we make could be disastrous to the time-space continuum. In fact..."

"Of course Dad, I know all that already."

"Yes, yes, you do, yes. Now, my parents will be moving into the area in a number of years, and I don't want them to be the least bit affected by our presence here. The consequences could be..."

"Disastrous, yes Dad, I know."

"Also, the longer we stay here, the more people will remember us. Imagine the consequences of people in the future remembering that I lived here? Because I am known by my real name, people could get suspicious when they find two men named Emmett Brown who lived in this town, who are apparently unrelated, yet both are scientists and... imagine if they found old pictures of me and compared them to those of the younger me who is yet to exist? It could cause..."

"I think Jules understands this, Emmett dear," interrupted Clara.

"Yeah, Mom, I do," Jules responded. "Uh, so, are we moving to the future? Where they have flying cars and cool clothes and the Holomax movie theatre and hoverboards and food hydrolators and Real-Virtuality game machines, and, and, video-phones, and, um..."

"I think you mean food _hydrators_, and _Virtual Reality_," Emmett corrected his excited son.

Jules shook his head, "Yes to the first correction, no to the second. The one I saw was actually called Real-Virtuality. It was a new model."

Emmett sighed. "I'm sure you did, but I'm afraid that is beside the point. If we were to move to the future, we would be moving to 1985 of Hill Valley, where I belong. However, we are going to continue living in the present time, for the time being."

Clara couldn't help laughing at her husband's unintentional joke. Jules rolled his eyes. Fortunately, neither of his parents noticed this display of disrespect. "So we are just going to another town? Why now?"

Clara chose to answer that question. "Your father and I have wanted to move from Hill Valley for many years, but we could not do that until the new time-machine was finished," she said, referring to the steam locomotive which was stored in a large shed near the railway line. Emmett had managed to acquire the engine, which had put out of service. He had restored and altered it in a shed near the line, which he had conveniently bought for black-smithing purposes.

"But what's the point in having a time-machine if we don't use it?" Jules wondered. "We could stay in Hill Valley then."

His father had a ready answer to that question. "Moving through time is much more difficult than moving through space for all involved. Your mother and I would like to try to live in this time period for as much, er... time, as possible. I always wanted to live in the Old West, as we call it in my time, and your mother grew up in this time. As much as we do not belong here for many reasons, we do belong here for others, so we would like to stay here for as long as we can. You need to content with what you have: both the past and the future have their good and bad sides."

Jules nodded slowly, taking in his father's words. "I guess it would be better to move than to stay here. We can make more friends without disturbing the timeline and all of the dangerous things in that category, correct?"

Emmett nodded, pleased at his son's show of insight. "Do you think you could attempt to convey that sentiment to your brother? You appear to be rather successful in explaining these sorts of things to him. He always gets confused when I talk to him about fourth-dimensional things."

"That's because he's young, Emmett dear," Clara defended. "He just needs it to be put on his level."

"Just have a go at it son. I would appreciate that immensely. But first, could you tell me why he was speaking so unfavourably about you a minute ago?"

Jules looked a little uncomfortable. "He's, uh, he's been acting like that ever since he dropped his Game-Boy down the well. He continually wants to use mine, but I won't let him because he lacks responsibility. Additionally, my Game-Boy is better than his," he explained, referring to the new model his parents had given him for his ninth birthday only three-and-a-half weeks before. "I do not want him to destroy it too."

"That is understandable," his mother answered, "but there is no reason why you cannot let him use it while you are watching him. That would be a brotherly thing to do. Imagine how he must feel after losing his toy."

"I guess that might be a good idea. I'll go and talk to him in a minute. So where are we moving to?"

"Another small town a couple of day's journey from here," his mother answered.

"Precisely. It is named Rocky Flat," Emmett answered.

"Rocky Flat. I could get used to that. And you say it is like Hill Valley?"

"More or less. I am aware that the railway does not pass through the town. Another difference is that no Tannens live there."

"Cool. So when are we going?"

"The expected date of departure is three weeks hence. In that space of time, certain procedures must be put into effect. Initially, we must catalog the items which must be transported from our current abode to..."

"Really Emmett," Clara interrupted, "now is not the best the best time to give lectures on that topic. That can come later."

"Yes, yes of course. Any more questions Jules?"

"Nah, we can talk about it later. I'm gonna see if I can cheer up Verne."

"Good luck then," Emmett answered as Jules left the room.

After he had gone, Clara smiled at her wonderful husband. "I am glad to see that Jules has found something positive about moving. He's a good child, Emmett. So is Verne, but neither is perfect."

Emmett's eyes twinkled again. "I'm glad they're not perfect. What would be the fun of that?"

Clara laughed. Life was good.


	2. Leaving Hill Valley

Chapter 2

5:00 PM

Oct 25 1895

Hill Valley California

"Verne! Where did you put that box of utensils I told you to pack?" Clara was in a flap, trying to finish packing all her family's belongings, run a household, and look after two young boys at the same time. "Verne?" she called again.

"I put it on the table in the living-room," Verne belatedly answered.

"It's not there," Clara answered a moment later.

"I know I put it there," Verne answered vehemently.

"No, I mean the _table_ isn't there."

"Oh. Dad must'a' moved it."

"Well in that case, could you start packing your clothes and toys?"

"I already started, 'member?"

"Then you can finish," Clara replied a little shortly. Today was not exactly the best day of her life.

Outside, Emmett was attempting to load some furniture into a wagon, including the aforementioned table. He was finding this was one of those things that he needed to put his mind to if he wanted to accomplish it anytime soon. The task was like solving a heavy three-dimensional puzzle. Four-dimensional actually, since the pieces had to be fitted in the correct order. His concentration was broken by a loud call from the side of the house.

"Dad! In what place do you wish this folder containing photographs to be located?"

Emmett grinned at hearing his son's slightly verbose speech and answered, "Just put it with that pile of other boxes. I'll take those down to the train with everything else I prefer to carry in the train."

"Certainly." Jules did as he had been instructed, thinking about the things that were going in the train. Most of those were items brought from the future, or things which his father had made before they had been invented or discovered. None of them were things a boy of Jules time of birth would have even dreamed about. He thought of his model airplane: the first airplanes would not be built for a number of years. Now there was something he couldn't show to his friends. Not that he had had many friends in the short history of his life in nineteenth-century Hill Valley.

"_But history is going to change,_" he thought resolutely. It was unfair to stop a boy from living a normal life because he shouldn't exist in the time he lived in, and any action he made could damage the time-space continuum. If Jules had been a different kind of boy, he might have taken his parents' stories as fairytales meant to scare him into obedience. Fortunately, he was able to believe his parents, a belief helped by the sight of his father's construction of a new time-machine and particularly by its recent completion and use.

He eagerly anticipated moving into a new town, with its new people, new possibilities, new horizons. As much as he loved the town he had grown up in, and as much as he wanted to stay in the future, he knew that his parents were trying to make a good decision for the family, and he would do whatever he could to make the best of it. Verne was still moping, but a few rounds of Jules' Game-Boy had cheered him up considerably.

Jules suddenly realised he had been standing idly, so he ran back inside before anyone missed him. He was promptly sent back out with a box of empty picture-frames.

8:20 PM

Oct 25 1895

Hill Valley California

"Whew! I think that's finally the last of it," Emmett declared, wiping his sweaty palms on the front of his overalls. "Any more last minute findings?"

"No, I do believe that really is the last of the packing, this time," Clara answered. "Now where are those boys of ours?"

"I'm here," answered Jules, sticking his head out of the empty house. "Verne is trying to nail down the floorboards in his room."

"So that's what that banging is. Wait... floorboards?" Emmett didn't know if he had heard correctly.

"Yes. He had to pull some up to get at his secret candy stash."

"Candy stash?" Clara was astonished. "Why would he hide his candy?"

Jules went slightly red. "So I can't get at it."

"Really, Jules. You know better than that. Now how about nailing the boards back down for him, if you are the one responsible," his father said firmly.

"Okay, alright. I'm going." Jules ran back inside.

"So are we all ready?" Clara asked her husband, a little anxiously.

"As soon as the boys fix the floor and pack the hammer, we can leave for the hotel. I also must start the train on it's journey ahead. It's almost dark enough."

The plan was to spend the night at the hotel, so as to start early the next morning. They would arrive at a town halfway and stay the night, and complete the journey the next day. The train would quickly fly to their destination during the night, and time-travel forwards by two days so as to arrive shortly after the Brown family. Emmett had everything programmed.

Jules and Verne ran out a minute later, Verne clutching a large hammer.

"Verne, put that in the wagon, and we can go," his father instructed.

For a fleeting moment Verne considered throwing the hammer away, so he could stay in Hill Valley, then he thought better of it and set it down as instructed. Jules, seeing his brother hesitate, gave him a funny look. Verne shrugged.

Emmett finally decided everything was ready, "If my calculations are correct, in precisely 48 hours, both we and the time-machine will arrive in Rocky Flat."

"If?" echoed Clara.

"Don't worry. So long as we are not delayed on the way, and the autopilot works as expected, everything will be fine."

"Right," answered Clara, still not entirely sure.

"Everybody in the wagon and hold on tight," instructed Doc. "Let's get out of here."

After everybody was sitting, Emmett clicked to the horses, Tom and Mike, to start pulling. The powerful beasts began pulling the heavily loaded wagon toward the centre of town. After a couple of minutes, they arrived at the shed that was now empty apart from the time-train.

"Here we are. This will only take a minute," Emmett said when the horses had stopped. He unlocked the heavily secured doors and swung them open, with a hand from Jules who had jumped out to help

The outline of the massive piece of machinery could be barely seen in the dim light. Emmett opened the highly decorative door by remote control and climbed aboard. He turned on the main power and began checking gauges. The fusion generator emanated a low hum as it supplied a trickle of power.

Jules looked around the train's interior, wonder-struck by the contrast between the ancient and futuristic components merged together to make this amazing working whole. He knew he would never cease to be amazed by this display of his father's ingenuity.

"Everything is in its operational state. The autopilot will send the train to Rocky Flat, where it will jump forward to 9 PM of the 27th of this month. We'll save firing the boiler, and switch to hover mode right now," advised Emmett, causing Jules to snap out of his state of deep thought. "Hover mode activated. We have lift. Moving out of the shed," Emmett commentated in a singsong voice. "Clear of shed. Opening door. Exiting time-vehicle."

Jules jumped down the short distance to the ground, looking back at the locomotive which looked even stranger with its wheels at the wrong angle, and weirdly-coloured thrust-beams emanating from somewhere underneath.

"The final necessary action is to start the auto-pilot. Verne, would you like to push the button?"

"Sure Dad. What button is it?"

Emmett pointed out the correct button, saying, "Remember, do not ever touch the remote, or any remote, unless I specifically tell you."

Verne nodded with wide, sincere eyes. Then he lightly pressed down the button. The controller bleeped, a tiny light flashed, and the train headed for the sky. Verne waved to it as it disappeared into the distance.


	3. Are we there yet?

Chapter 3

8:35 PM

Oct 27 1895

Near Rocky Flat California

"Dad, are we there yet?"

"No, Verne. Our arrival will not occur for another thirty minutes. Just be patient a little longer."

Verne sighed. The beginning of the first day of the trip had been interesting, but by the end of the second day, he was dead bored, and sick of sitting in the wagon. "If only we could'a' gone in a coach. Or a train," he complained.

"Verne, for the fifth time: the train doesn't go to Rocky Flat, and a coach wouldn't be any faster, or any more comfortable after two days. Now heed your father and be patient."

Verne sighed loudly and started fidgeting. Jules looked thoughtful.

After a couple of minutes of Verne's fidgeting, Jules had had enough. "Can't you find something to do?"

"Like what?"

"Try looking at things."

"I've already seen ev'rything."

"Have you really?"

"Uh huh."

"No you haven't "

"Have too."

"Have not."

"Have too."

"Boys!"

Jules and Verne turned to their mother.

"Can't you two settle this quietly?"

"Certainly," answered Jules immediately. "Verne, I am thinking of a certain thing I can see. You have to guess what it is."

"Can't ya give me a hint?"

"It begins with 'h'."

"Horse?"

"No."

"House?'

"No."

Verne looked around for more ideas. "Hill?"

"Wrong again."

"Ahhh, hedge?"

"Verne, there is no hedge!"

"Oh. I give up."

"It's the horizon."

"The what?"

"The horizon. That line where the sky and the ground meet."

"Oh, that. But it's too far away."

"It still counts."

"No it doesn't"

"Yes it does."

"Dad!"

"What is it Verne?"

'Jules cheated. He choosed something too far away."

"I think you mean 'chose'," Emmett corrected. "But what about later?"

"Later what?"

"When we get closer to the horizon. The you could see it better."

Jules was about to pipe up and say something, but Emmett shushed him.

"When we get to the new town, can I look at the ho... hor... hozi...?"

"It will be a bit dark, but you can certainly look."

"Okay. Can we play again, Jules?"

"Sure, you pick something now."

"Um, something... beginning with... 'B'."

"Is it only one word?" Jules asked after a little thought.

"Uh huh."

"Barn?"

"Nope."

"Bucket?"

"Nope."

"Breeze?"

"Can't see that."

"Bank?"

"Huh? There's no bank near here."

"I meant like a riverbank."

"Oh. That's not it."

"Branch? On a tree."

"No."

"Bottle?"

"Not that."

"Basket?"

"No."

"Bowl?"

"Nup."

"Bale?"

"No."

"Uh... bird?"

"Nope."

"Bone?"

"There's no bone."

"In that case, I give up. What is it?"

"Brother."

"Oh. You think you're pretty smart, eh?"

"Your turn."

"I am sick of this, Verne."

"But I wanna play."

"Well you cannot, so there."

"Hey!"

"Mom! Jules won't play with me any more!"

"Can't you do something else?" she answered wearily.

"No. I've done everything else."

"Have you tried drawing?"

"Drawin' what?"

"Drawing what you can see."

"Why?"

"Later, you will be able to look back and remember what the journey looked like?"

"Why'd I wanna 'member somthin' boring?"

"Just draw the interesting parts. Or make something up. Here's some pencils and paper."

Verne accepted them and started happily drawing in the fading light.

Twenty minutes later, he had to stop. Not because of the light (a lamp had been lit) but because...

"We're here!" Emmett announced.

"Yay!" shouted Verne, who wanted to get out of the wagon. He look out to see the town. "Uh, why are the lights waaaaaaay over there?"

"Because we're not in the town yet."

"Oh. But I thought we were there."

Jules piped up with part of the answer. "Verne! You're forgetting something."

"Huh?"

"We need to get the time-train."

"Oh. Where is it?"

"Nowhere yet."

"Where?"

"Nowhere."

"Dad! Jules says the train is nowhere!"

"He's right. The train went to the future, so it won't be anywhere until then."

"Oh. When will it be here?"

"Hopefully, it will be here in a minute," his father answered.

"We have to wait again?"

'We can do something while we wait."

"Like what?"

"Can you see the light, over in the west?"

"Yeah."

"Can you see the ground?"

"It's all dark there."

"Can you see where they meet?"

"Yes. Is that the h... horizon?"

"Exactly. Is it any closer that before?"

"Uh... no."

"Quite so, my boy. That's because the earth is round. If you are anywhere on the ground, the horizon looks the same distance away, no matter where you are. It will look different from up on a mountain, though. The horizon is just an illusion: the sky and land do not really meet. They just seem to do so. I could build a model to show..."

Verne looked back at the horizon. He was thoughtful for a few moments, but something interrupted him. Blue flashes of light appeared on the horizon, as distant sonic booms rang out. "It's here!" he announced.

"9 PM exactly. Precisely on schedule." Emmett announced. He took the remote out of his coat and guided the flying train toward them. When it was fairly close, he started the horses toward the town, and steered the train to follow.

"Dad, in what place do you intend to store the train? You cannot just leave it out in the open," Jules asked.

"Indeed not, son. I have bought a shed near our new home, which is a little way out of town. It should do the job adequately."

"You certainly appear to have everything well planned, Dad."

"I have had a couple of years to think about it."

"How come you didn't tell us?" Verne asked in a whiny voice.

"Ah. I wanted to know for certain what was going to happen before I discussed it with you. There's no point in telling you we are going to move, and then not being able to. Why give you something to worry about? Wasn't three weeks of anticipation enough for you?"

"Uh... yeah." Verne only just managed to gather the meaning of that semi-lecture.

"Dad, there is something I wish to say," began Jules.

"If it isn't the fact that your mother is almost asleep, then tell me."

Clara quickly shook herself back awake.

Emmett shivered slightly, due to the bitter wind that had sprung up. He almost wished he had waited for warmer weather. The weather in Hill County was never predictable, but late fall was not the warmest time of the year. At least it wasn't winter yet. Regardless, he was glad that he was out of Hill Valley, which was a dangerous place where the time-space continuum was concerned.

Jules stated his question. "Did you ever think that it might be simpler to make the time machine travel to another point in space as well as time? That would remove the necessity of flying so far during the night. I assume you would like to avoid sending the time-machine for a night's journey on it's own again."

"You have a good point there. Which is why I have been working on such a system for the past two years. That is another reason as to why we didn't move away as soon as we returned from 1985. And speaking of moving: here we are."


	4. Vegetables and Stories

Chapter 4

10:05 AM

Oct 28 1895

Rocky Flat California

"What did I just tell you?"

"Pumpkin and onions."

"What else?"

"Be back in fifteen minutes, and don't get dirty."

"Good. Now off with you: I need those things to make soup as soon as possible."

"Most certainly, Mom." Jules headed out of the door of his new home and into the fresh air and the streets of his new hometown. He was glad to get out, because the house was crowded with boxes and furniture, he was continually told to dust things, and Verne was being a pain due to lack of sleep. While the new house was greatly interesting, Jules needed a change.

Basket in hand, Jules walked past a collection of billboards that announced that he was nearing the centre of town. A team of horses pulled a cart of firewood down the dusty street. Several people were sweeping the fronts of their stores, and one man was paining a roof.

He passed a couple of children standing by the side of the greengrocer, and heard a little of their conversation.

"Go home and do it now, Annabelle," said a tough looking boy who was a little taller than Jules.

The golden haired girl named Annabelle replied, "Why should I?"

"Look, Annabelle. If I don't have my homework done this time, I'll get thrown outta school. You wouldn't want that to happen, would you Annabelle?"

The small girl shrugged. "Maybe I would, Stewart."

Stewart grabbed her by the shoulders and pushed her roughly against the wall of the store. "Don't give me any of your smart comments. If I get kicked out of school, it'll be your fault and I'll hold you responsible."

"You're the one who isn't doing his homework."

"Shut yer pretty mouth, girl. Just go and copy the answers out like the smart girl you are, and remember: don't tell anyone, and don't copy them wrong. Remember what happened last time."

Annabelle did not have any time to remember, because Jules called out, "Hello. I am new to this town. Is this the cheapest place to get pumpkins?"

"Don't know about that, but if you want any bruises, stick around."

"I might stick around, as you put it. But I think you had better leave Additionally, you should release that girl."

"Who do you think you are, talking to me like that.?"

"My parents named me Jules, but you can call me Jules. I gather you must be Stewart."

"Yeah, and you're history!" Stewart suddenly let go of Annabelle, who staggered backwards. He advanced toward Jules, throwing punches. Jules retreated backwards, faking a few swings. Stewart continued toward Jules, but Jules kept backing away. "Are you gonna fight me, or are you running away?"

Jules did not answerer. He just ducked under the low rail fence as if to flee. Then he flipped himself back over the fence, supporting himself with one hand. As he twisted in mid air, he swung his other hand from behind his back at a carefully calculated speed and angle. Just as his feet touched the ground, the vegetable basket contacted Stewart's chin. The boy crumpled onto the ground.

"Now don't you bully Annabelle, or anyone in this town ever again. If I see you so much as lay a finger on her..."

Stewart nodded feebly. Annabelle smiled brightly. She brushed down her dress and said, "This is my Dad's store, and he sells the best value pumpkins around here. The same goes for any other vegetable you could name. And I'm sure he'd throw in something extra, since you're new here. Need any onions?"

"Ah, ah, yes. I most certainly do."

"Well let's go and get them. We're not usually open on Sunday afternoons, but we can make an exception if you're new to town, and have nothing else to eat."

Jules nodded. "Thankyou. Let's see those pumpkins and onions."

10:19 AM

Oct 28 1895

Rocky Flat California

"Pumpkins and onions. Very good ones, too. How much were they?"

Jules handed his mother the change and a scribbled receipt.

Clara gasped as she read that the onions were free. "You certainly found the right grocer, Jules."

"I also met the grocer's daughter, Annabelle, and her, um, friend, Stewart."

"I would like you to help me cut and peel the pumpkin now. It should be a nice change from unpacking."

Jules stifled a groan. Peeling vegetables was not his ideal of lab work. He grabbed a peeler out of the box of utensils, and started attacking the nearest pumpkin.

7:50 PM

Oct 28 1895

Rocky Flat California

Verne licked the last trace of soup from his spoon and took his bowl to the basin to wash it. He was not particularly happy about having the same food for two meals in the same day. Not that he didn't like his mother's soup. In fact, it was quite delicious. But even the best of foods became dull after the fourth serving. He yawned softly as he stacked his newly dried bowl with a loud clink.

"Better get ready for bed right away," advised his father.

Verne nodded and asked, "Can I have a story?"

"Certainly, on the condition that you are in bed within five minutes. The same goes for Jules."

Both boys raced out of the room. Clara looked lovingly at her husband, saying, "You definitely know how to motivate those boys."

Emmett looked modest and said, "That is because they are boys. If we had daughters, I would be completely lost."

"Really, Emmett?"

"I believe so. The only experience I've had with children is with Marty, and when I met him, he was older than Jules is now. I only knew Jennifer for a few years, and not nearly as much as Marty. Besides, I was a boy once myself, believe it or not."

"I'm sure you would manage with daughters, if you had any. You've handled me for nearly ten years."

"I suppose you are correct. No, I know you are. You usually are right, actually."

"Only usually?"

"We'll there was that one time when I told you about time-travel, but that was as much my fault as yours. How about we see what our sons are up to?"

He was pleasantly surprised to find both boys snuggled in their own beds. He called Jules into Verne's room so everyone could talk together. "Before we have a story, how about both of you spend a minute telling me something you did today."

"I got to hang a clock myself," Verne began. "And I finished my picture from yesterday. I made it into a comet."

"You mean a comic, you idi..."

"Jules, don't speak like that. You can't expect your brother to know everything. Now apologise."

"Verne, I am truly sorry that I spoke badly of you and your intelligence."

"Uh, yeah, thanks, I mean, I forgive you. Yeah, so it's a comic. It's called "The Perils of Jules". You see, the train appears in the wrong place, and it's going to hit the wagon, and everyone jumps out. But Jules gets stuck. So the train crashes into the wagon, and it pushes it along really fast. And bits break, so Jules gets free. But he can't jump out, cos it's too fast. And it hits a bump, and that makes Jules go unconscience"

"You mean unconscious," Emmett corrected. "Jules, it's your tur..."

"And the bump makes the train crash into the ground in a ball of flame. And that makes the wagon start to burn. And Jules is still in it, and can't wake up. But the wagon crashes into the lake, and that puts out the fire. And Jules gets woken up, and has to swim out. But the lake is made of toxic pumpkin soup. And a whirlpool starts sucking it all down into the middle, so I run up finally, on a hoverboard, and I say, 'If you...'"

"Time up. Jules?"

"I went to buy pumpkins and onions. And I met a boy named Stewart, and a girl named Annabelle. Also, I tested the pumpkin soup to make sure it tasted like it was intended to taste."

"Very good, both of you. I would like a look at that comic in the morning. What story do you want?"

"Tell us about how you and Mom met," asked Verne.

Jules liked that story but he wanted a different on that night. "Didn't you tell us that particular story a mere week ago? Tell us about the dance instead."

"Yeah, the dance," agreed Verne.

"Let me think for a moment. Ah yes, Marty and I had just tested my plan for pushing the DeLorean with a steam locomotive. I believe I had just erroneously said, 'It couldn't be simpler," when Clara knocked on the door and called for me. Marty and I had to cover the DeLorean. Although if she had seen it, then..."

"Emmett, stick to what did happen. You don't want to change it, and it will make the story take too long."

"Quite so. We had just hidden the DeLorean, and Marty had concealed the model representing it, when Clara let herself in. I believe I said it was a surprise to see her, and when she wondered if she was interrupting anything, I just said we were doing a little model railroad. She took little notice of that, and asked me about repairing her telescope. I remember looking through the telescope, and the next thing I remember, was that Marty coughed. I don't really know why he did that."

I think we must have been gazing at one another for too long," Clara filled in.

"Yes, I do believe we were. I told her I would repair it right away and have it for her that night. But she said she wouldn't dream of having me work on her telescope during such an important event as the town festival, and asked me if I was panning on attending. I think Marty tried to say no, but I couldn't help but say, 'Of course, the festival...'. So she said she would see me there. We said our goodbyes, and I remember that after she left, Marty said, 'It's a nice telescope.' I must have had a funny look on my face, for him to say something like that.

"That evening, Marty and I were at the festival, watching the mayor start the clock. I started thinking about out how Marty and I were present when the clock stopped (not that it will happen for another sixty years, fifteen days, and two hours), and I said, 'Y'know Marty, in a way it's fitting that you and I are here to witness this.' Marty replied, saying, 'Too bad I didn't bring my camera.' Just then, we saw a flash, because a photographer was taking pictures of people beside the clock. We couldn't resist the opportunity. I told Marty the only problem was that we would never be able to show anybody. Marty just told me to smile, which is some of the best advice he ever gave me. The good thing is: I can show the picture to a few people."

He pulled out a thick folder. "I haven't put any of our photos back in their frames yet, so it should be in here."

"Is that the one of which you gave a copy to Marty?" asked Jules.

"Yes, that is the one. Ah, here it is." He pulled it out for all to see. But something was terribly wrong. The heads of both Emmett and Marty had all but vanished from the photograph. "Great Scott!"


	5. It's not bedtime? And the middle of a s...

Chapter 5

8:10 PM

Oct 28 1895

Rocky Flat California

"But you said it was bedtime, Dad. So are we going to sleep, or aren't we?" Verne questioned in a tired, whiney voice.

"Not in your own beds. You can sleep on the way."

"But Dad, the trip is instantaneous. So there is no way available on which we are able to sleep," objected Jules.

"Ah, but we have to fly back to Hill Valley. Even if we did not, you would still need to sleep in the train. Now, move," Emmett commanded firmly.

Both boys reluctantly put on warm coats and gloves, Jules quietly squabbling over the logic of what was happening. Verne was not particularly interested, and was getting grumpier by the minute.

"Does everyone really need to come?" Clara asked softly?"

Emmett nodded with a frantic look in his eyes as he gathered some essentials. "I couldn't risk leaving anyone here. It appears that we have somehow disrupted the time line in a way which is threatening our existence, starting with that of Marty and myself at the festival of a decade ago. It follows that if we were not at the festival, there is little chance of us existing here now, as some of our other photographs are beginning to show. The act of leaving anyone behind, stranded as it were, would be of no help. In fact, we should take as much with us as possible, particularly those things which do not belong in this time."

"Don't spend too long, dear. We need to be fixing this problem, not packing. Just take the most obvious things, and hope we can return before... something bad happens, whatever that may be."

"I don't want to find out. Here is a basket for Jules to carry, and I will take this one. Thankfully, most of our futuristic items are still stored in the train."

"What do you want me to carry?"

"Verne. He is much too tired to walk down to the shed. Now let's get out of here."

Clara took the basket from her husband and called for Jules to take it. Emmett snatched up the folder of family photographs, some of which were in the first stages of erasure. Clara picked up the overtired Verne, and the family left the house... and prepared to leave the century.

"If only I had some newspapers or photographs from the future which could show us what the problem is," Emmett muttered as they reached the shed he had stored the train in. "It would have helped greatly in this situation." He unlocked the door and opened the train.

"Don't worry, Emmett," Clara soothed as she set Verne down. "There's no point in worrying about that now. We can still finish what we need to know. You will have all the time you need to think later."

"I certainly hope so." Emmett waited for Einstein to bound in and closed the door. He ran a quick check of the systems, and activated the hover systems. The train slid out of the shed like a flying train normally would. He set the time circuits, made sure they were turned off, and headed for the sky.

After a full hour of top speed flight, the train was exactly in the middle of nowhere. Emmet slowed down for safety (he had calculated that temporal transition at speeds much over 88 miles per hour could have dangerous results), and switched the time circuits on. He warned Clara, and accelerated.

The train quickly hit 88 and vanished in a flash of blue light into twin tracks of fire. Emmett had no idea what he would find on the other side.

9:00 PM

Nov 8 1985

Hill Valley California

Initially, Emmett had seen nothing worth seeing. But after an hour of flight, the lights of Hill Valley became visible on the horizon.

The two boys were still fast asleep, and had been since leaving Rocky Flat. To them, it would have been 10:30, which was what Emmett's watches showed. He noticed this, and set one to 'local' time so he could see the time both in the current time and the one he had left.

Emmett steered toward the part of town where his house was located. He landed the train in a clearing in the woods, which stood just behind John F. Kennedy Drive. "I'm going out for a quick look around," he told his wife. "I'll be back in approximately 30 minutes. Use this radio if you absolutely must contact me, and vice versa."

Clara gave him a quick kiss goodbye, took the radio he handed her, and reluctantly let him go. He exited the train and headed toward his house.

He was relieved to see his garage standing beside the Burger King, which was still doing some late night business. He walked toward the garage, intending to look inside, when he was shocked to hear a voice.

"Einie! Put down than spanner!" Emmett demanded from inside the garage." There was a loud THUNK, followed by a curse over bruised fingers.

Outside the garage, Emmett uttered the words, "Great Scott!" and crumpled softly onto the ground.

A few minutes later, he sat up and waited for his head to clear. Obviously, the disruption to the timeline, whatever it was, had caused him to enter into a alternate dimension, like the one in which he had been committed, and Biff had made a complete mess of Hill Valley, and a good portion of history.

For a fleeting moment, he considered asking his other self for help, but he quickly decided against it. If the unexpected sound of his other self's voice had sent him to the ground, what would the shock of his turning up at the door do to his other self? He didn't really want to find out, but he guessed that his counterpart would be useless for a number of hours. A much better course of action was to call Marty, an action he had originally expected to attempt.

A few minutes later, the dimensionally deposed scientist had located a payphone. He inserted some change, which he had placed in his pocket in preparation, and dialed.

Ten rings later, the other end was picked up. "Yo."

"Marty, is that you?"

"Hey, hey, Doc, something up?"

"Yes, actually. Is there a place where we can meet privately in the very near future?"

"What about your house?"

"If we could meet there, would I be asking?"

"Oh, of course not. You can come over to my place. All my family are out, and I've been playing a bit of guitar."

"That would explain why you took a long time to answer."

"I did? Sorry about that, Doc, but if you had rung in the middle of the song, you would have had to wait longer."

"I will arrive shortly."

"See ya then, Doc."

Emmett replaced the receiver and returned to the train so he could talk to Clara privately.

"You're back so soon?" she asked when he entered the train.

"I am glad to see you too."

"Sorry. What did you find out?"

"I am still living in my garage and have Einie; Marty is still my friend, plays guitar and has the same phone number."

Clara thought about the inferences of that statement. "Are you saying there is another... you here?"

"Yes, and another Einstein," he added, looking at the faithful dog who had been silently accompanying the Brown family in the train. "I have arranged to meet with Marty at his house. Hopefully I will be able to determine the cause of this temporal error without startling him significantly."

"From what you've told me and the boys, Marty has experienced some rather... unusual circumstances already."

"The Marty I know has, but I cannot be certain about this one. I can deduce that he never went to 1885, but I know nothing of his other experiences. Now I had better be going."

Clara kissed him goodbye again, and he set out toward Lyon Estate. After a brisk walk, he was greeted by a letterbox reading "McFly", a good sign that Marty still had the same address and family name.

He could also hear the sound of a loud guitar and some sort of electronic piano competing for volume. After giving several unanswered raps on the door, Emmett decided he should let himself in. He followed the sounds to their source, and knocked loudly on Marty's bedroom door.


	6. Someone missing, and I gotta use the pho...

Chapter 6

9:41 PM

Nov 1 1985

Hill Valley California

The piano stopped instantly, eventually followed by the guitar. "Hey why're you stopping?" asked a voice, definitely Marty's.

"Can't you hear? The Doc just knocked on the door," a feminine voice answered with mild exasperation.

"Oh. Then I'd better let him in," Marty replied. Then he called out, "Hey Doc, if you're out there, come in!"

Emmett opened the door and stepped inside. The aforementioned instruments stood in a corner of the room. Band posters adorned the walls. Marty sat on a small amplifier, and a stranger stood behind the electronic piano, running her delicate fingers absently over the keys. The girl was as short as Marty, and had blonde hair and a cute but thoughtful face. Emmett thought he had seen her somewhere, but he couldn't pin the feeling down. Perhaps she was one of Marty's band members.

"So Doc, what's the scoop?" Marty asked as soon as Emmett entered the room.

"Actually, I'm not entirely sure where to begin."

"You could start by explaining why you look so young," the unknown girl asked, receiving a nod of approval from Marty.

Emmett wasn't sure what to say. He could only guess that his counterpart in this reality had not had a overhaul at a rejuvenation clinic in the year 2015. He could not guess who the girl was, but he did not want to talk about time travel in front of a stranger. "What do you think?" he finally asked.

Strangely, it was the girl who answered. "If we hadn't finished dismantling it last Saturday, I would have said it had something to do with your time machine.

Now that was interesting. "Exactly why would I want to do a thing like that?" Emmett asked, digging for more information.

Marty gave Emmett a funny look and asked, "Are you the same Doc I spoke to this afternoon? You're acting strange. The Doc I know would never forget that we took the time machine apart because of all the mess in 1955."

"You mean with your parents?" Emmett asked, evading the question.

"Of course he means that. How many times do you think Marty went to '55?" the girl asked a little indignantly.

"As I remember it, twice."

Marty gasped. "Are you saying that you remember something different, like after I came back from '55, I remembered there being pines at the mall?"

"Indeed, this is something like the issue of the name of Lone Pine Mall, but on a larger scale."

The girl, who seemed to be fully aware of the existence of time travel, had an objection. "I know I have forgotten as often as you, Doc, but you should remember by now that the mall is called Peabody Mall."

"Really?" Emmet responded with surprise. That was a new twist."

"I think I know what's up, Bess," Marty told the girl. "He must have gone back in time and stopped it from happening."

"No Marty, that doesn't make sense," Bess disagreed. "If that had happened, Doc would remember, and we wouldn't."

"Oh. Really?"

"She is absolutely correct. If you just think fourth dimensionally for a moment..."

"I'm not too good at that," Marty lamented. "So can you tell me what you're here for?"

Emmett decided he could. "It seems that something I did in the past has changed the present, resulting in this."

"This? What 'this' is this 'this'?" Marty wondered.

"Can't you figure that out?" Bess asked him.

"How do you expect me to know what 'this' you mean without telling me which 'this' this 'this' is?

Emmett looked rather thoughtful, trying to figure out which 'this'es meant what. Finally he said, "I'm talking about the version of reality we are in. For instance, I don't really remember meeting Bess before, let alone her knowing about the time machine."

Marty gave a loud chuckle. "That puts you in the same position as I was two weeks ago. Or thirty years, depending on how you put it."

"What position was that?" asked Doc.

"Coming from a reality where my family were losers and Doc was my only friend apart from the Pinheads, who ignored me most of the time when I wasn't playing guitar, and then having Bess show up saying she's my girlfriend. That was... heavy."

"But what about Jennifer?" Emmett asked, noticing another discrepancy.

"Jennifer who? I don't know anyone named Jennifer," Marty replied.

"What about Jennifer Kent, my friend Susan's little sister?" offered Bess.

"No, I mean Jennifer Parker," Emmett corrected. "She's about the same age as you two."

Marty drew a blank. "Never heard of her. I know of a Daniel Parker, he's sixteen. What was his sister's name?"

Bess remembered. "It's Chelsea. She's nearly twenty."

"Where do you know her from, Doc?" Marty asked.

"Last time I saw her, she was your girlfriend. Actually, the first time I heard about her was when you were in '55. You showed me the flyer she had written on. But I expect you would have no memory of that."

"No, I don't remember anything about a Jennifer or a flyer."

"You don't remember the flyer?"

"What flyer?"

"The 'Save the Clock tower' flyer. It told us exactly when lightning would strike so I could send you home."

"Send me home? Are you saying that in your reality you sent me directly back to the future?"

"Precisely. What do you remember?"

"We buried the DeLorean in the Delgado mine so you could get it out thirty years late, after conning the Libyans with that bullet-proof vest, and you came back and picked me up. Bess came with you. In fact, she helped you get the DeLorean out of the mine so you could bring me back before anyone missed me. Then we took all the additions off the DeLorean so you could use it as a normal car. That was a smart move, since the surviving Libyans, or rather the one who was well enough to talk, told the authorities that they saw a car disappear in a ball of fire, but when the cops looked into it, they found you had bought a DeLorean, and still had the same DeLorean, so they must have made it up or imagined it."

"And I never went to the future?"

"Nope, just the one trip to rescue me from '55. Which was only just in time."

"What do you mean by that?"

Bess gave an odd grin. "Marty had just gotten into a big fight with my father. Marty had just defeated him, but had been beaten up himself quite a bit. I don't know what would have happened if we hadn't found him, but I think Doc does, although he keeps it to himself."

"Me?" Emmett asked.

"No, I mean Doc who came back in time to rescue me. I can tell you're different," Marty explained.

"Yes, for one thing, I had a overhaul at a rejuvenation clinic, in the year 2015."

"Really!" exclaimed Bess. "That would explain why you look younger."

"Actually, I happen to be older. I have just lived from 1885 to 1895, working as a blacksmith in the old west. This evening, the evening I left, I found that a photograph of Marty and I taken in 1885 was being erased."

Marty gasped. "I was in 1885 with you? This is heavy."

"Yes. You came back to rescue me after I had been stranded in 1885, due to a lightning bolt which hit the DeLorean when I was flying over Hill Valley in 1955 to pick you up after..."

Marty had been getting more and more intrigued by this complicated tale, but before he could interrupt, his phone rang. "Sorry Doc, gotta pick that up."


	7. Marty's density

Chapter 7

He grabbed his phone and answered. "Yo. Hey, hey, Doc, where are you? Einstein? Woah. She was who? Yeah, I know the legend of the ravine. But you gotta... Yeah, but you... Sure, but there's... Doc! There's something weird happening with time... Sure, not over the phone, but there's another you here too. Yeah, that's what I thought. Sure, we can. See you."

He turned to the others in the room. "That was Doc. Uh, did you bring Einie with you?"

"Yes, I did. What has happened?"

"He showed up at your place, I mean Doc's. And him and Doc's Einie were acting real weird. Some lady came after him and called him back. And she tried to leave without saying who she was. But Doc called him back, 'cos both Einies listened to him. And she said her name was Clara, and she was a school teacher."

"You mean like the teacher who fell in the ravine a century ago?" asked Bess.

"Yeah, she said Clayton was her maiden name. Weird, hey Doc?"

Emmett was about to answer something, when his radio crackled to life. "Emmett, can you hear me?"

"Yes Clara, I can."

"I just had a little problem: Einie had to be let out of the train for a walk, and he ran away. I went after him, and he ran back home to your garage. In getting him back, I ran into the other you, and the other Einstein."

"Yes, I just heard it from Marty, who was called by the other me."

"Oh!" said Clara through the radio. "I assume I need not continue."

"Not really. I'll call you when I'm done here. Just don't let Einie get away again." He put the radio back in his pocket. "Where were we?"

"Uh, who exactly was that?" Marty asked with a searching look on his face.

"That was Clara, my wife."

"Your wife? Wait a minute, wait a minute, Doc, are you telling me you got married in the nineteenth century to a schoolteacher who's supposed to be dead?"

"The way I see it, if you're gonna get married, why not do it with some style? Not that I intended to beforehand, but some things just happen."

"How did you meet her?" Bess asked with curiosity.

"Ah, it was an accident. Marty and I were looking at the railroad tracks at the end of the ravine when Clara shot by on the runaway buckboard. I saved her as a matter of course, not realising who she was. She used her slightly damaged telescope as an excuse to see me and invite me to the town festival, not that I really needed an excuse. And she's a big fan of Jules Verne."

"Wow. But what were we doing, looking at the tracks? And why were we in 1885 in the first place? And why were we in 1955 again?" questioned Marty, wanting to know everything.

"The short version is: I had taken you to 2015, Biff got hold of the DeLorean and went to '55, to the very day of the Enchantment Under the Sea dance and the lightning strike, and gave his younger self a book of sports results."

"What was the deal with the lightning? You never explained that," interrupted Marty.

"Oh, simply put, I rigged a wire from the clock across the road and attached a connecting hook, like an aerial, to the back of the DeLorean. You drove down the street so that the connecting hook touched the wire the instant the lightning struck, while driving at 88 miles per hour."

"That doesn't sound easy," commented Bess.

"It wasn't. Marty only just got away from the dance in time, the DeLorean wouldn't start when Marty needed it to go, and a branch pulled the wire down. I only managed to reconnect it as the lightning struck, after sliding down the cable from up on the clock."

"On the clock?" Bess and Marty said in unison.

"Yes, I was holding onto the hands for a little while. But back to the other story. We returned to 1985 to find a terrible world where Biff had become rich and powerful by gambling thanks to the sports almanac. Sparing the details, which you don't want to hear, we went to 1955 to get the book back after he had given it to himself. Marty ended up at the dance, running from Biff's gang and trying to prevent them from harming his other self, who was playing the guitar at the dance. Biff got away, but Marty caught him with the help of a hoverboard he had acquired in 2015. Biff nearly ran him down with his car, but I flew the DeLorean overhead with a flag pennant hanging down, which he grabbed."

"How was the DeLorean flying? Did I miss something?" asked Bess,

"No, I missed something. I bought a hover-conversion for the DeLorean the first time I was in 2015. I also bought a fusion generator to replace the fission reactor. That allowed me to use common garbage rather than plutonium."

"Smart move, Doc," complimented Marty.

"Thank you. After setting you down, I circled around to make a landing. The storm had other ideas, and with a little help from the time circuits, which were malfunctioning slightly, it sent me to the beginning of 1885. I could not repair the damage to the DeLorean, so I buried it in the mine, the same one you used in 1955, and sent a letter to be delivered to Marty immediately after I left. He went to my '55 self for assistance, startling me somewhat by appearing immediately after I had successfully sent him back to the future. We quickly repaired the DeLorean, replacing the time circuits with vacuum tubes."

"Is this the short version?" Bess asked tactfully when Emmett paused for breath.

"Sorry. In brief, Marty came to get me, even though I wrote him not to do so. He ripped the fuel line in the trip back, stranding us without gasoline to get the DeLorean up to 88. I contrived to use a steam locomotive to push it. I told Clara I was leaving, and when she made me explain why, she slapped me, not believing my story of time travel. After various events almost preventing our departure, precipitated by Buford Tannen who had originally killed me, but was stopped by Marty, who was going under the name 'Clint Eastwood' because he had run into his great-great-grandparents..."

"The short version, please," reminded Marty.

"Not that we don't want to hear everything, but it is getting late," added Bess.

"Clara changed her mind and came after us, managing to get aboard the engine we borrowed. She nearly fell off due to the boiler beginning to explode under the pressure. I was forced to save her with the hoverboard. We escaped just in time. The DeLorean reached 88 just before the end of the track, and the engine was destroyed in the ravine. The ravine was named Eastwood Ravine, in memory of Marty."

"Cool. So did I come back to get you and Clara?" asked Marty.

"No, Marty. Remember he said he lived in that century until 1895?" corrected Bess.

"Yes, Clara and I build an entirely new time machine out of a locomotive. The DeLorean was wrecked by a freight train just after Marty's return, over the Eastwood Bridge, or the Clayton Bridge, as you would know it."

"Wow. So when did you mess things up?" Marty moved to the important question.

"A few years after building the new time machine, we moved out of Hill Valley to avoid disrupting the timeline. The next day, I discovered the erased photograph, so we immediately came to see what had changed."

"What was the photo?" Bess asked.

"Marty and I at the festival, posing in front of the clock just after it started. I actually gave Marty a copy when we went forward to check he was safe. The first trip in the train, however, was to 2015 to get a fusion power generator, to replace the giant capacitor bank housed in the tender, and a hover conversion, so we didn't need tracks."

"Say, I told Doc we would be over at his place, when he rang. We better be leaving," Marty remembered.

"I don't know if that would be a good idea. The shock of my meeting myself..."

"We could at least take you back to your train," suggested Marty. "Do you know enough to fix the problem?"

"Not really. The fundamental difference I observe is the absence of Jennifer, but I have no idea of what caused that."

"Can't you look up her ancestors and see what happened to them?" wondered Marty.

"I do not know who they are, but due to the presence of some Parkers in town, I expect the problem to be on her mother's side of the family."

Bess suddenly stood up. "I'd better be leaving, and Marty should go to bed, after calling Doc to say he won't be over. I'm sure you can fix this yourself."

Marty was not pleased with her sudden attitude change. "Can't you give him a break? If he doesn't fix history soon, he will be erased. And his wife too, I guess."

"Yes, and Einie and the boys."

"Boys?" Bess and Marty said, again in unison.

"Yes, Clara and I have two sons, Jules and Verne."

Marty laughed aloud, but Bess looked sombre, a frown wandering over her pretty face. Marty had no idea what her problem was. "Is something wrong?" he asked, putting his hand on her shoulder.

"Marty, did you ever think about what would happen to us if this Doc fixed history?"

"Us?"

"Yeah. Doc said you had some other girlfriend."

"Oh, yeah Bess, he did. So what would happen, Doc?"

"When the timeline is restored, everything will go back to normal. You will have no memory of this conservation. Thus it should not matter."

"But it will. I won't be with Marty any more. I'll just be... Uh Doc, what do you know about me in the timeline you remember? Or don't I even exist?"

"I don't know. There's something familiar about you, but I don't remember who you are. It might help if you told me your second name,"

"Tannen."


	8. Vanishing Act

Chapter 8

Emmett's mind raced. From Bess' earlier mention that Marty had not known her before his trip back to 1955, and her mention of her father, he suddenly realised that Bess was the daughter of Biff Tannen. "Great Scott!"

"Yeah, I reacted like that when I woke up to find I had a girlfriend who was the daughter of the guy who had just beat me up for helping him drive into manure. And my Doc said he wasn't too happy when I told him about meeting Bess, although I don't remember that. It's pretty funny when you think about it."

"I suppose it is, although it is not particularly humourous at this moment."

"So where am I in your reality?" asked Bess again.

Emmett thought for a moment. "I believe that you live on the other side of Hill Valley with your mother and older brother, most of the time."

"Most of the time? What about my dad?"

"In my reality your parents are divorced. I assume that didn't happen in this reality."

Bess looked stricken. "No, they aren't. At least I do exist though."

Emmett detected a deeper meaning in those last words. "Is that supposed to mean something?" he asked gently.

Bess looked down. Marty gave her a sympathetic look and said, "In the reality I came from before I messed stuff up with my parents and Biff, Biff's wife divorced him before Bess was born. Only her brother existed. In this reality, they stayed married."

Emmett understood. "In my reality, they stayed married long enough for Bess to be born, but split eventually. I suppose that is because my Marty did not actually get into a physical fight with Biff, but merely knocked him into manure again. Also the loss of the sports almanac would have unfavourably changed his behaviour."

Bess shuddered. "I don't know whether I want to end up like that."

"But you won't know the difference. The only people who will ever remember this reality are myself and my family."

"Either that, or you and your family get erased," added Marty, trying to help. "I don't want that to happen, but I'm not big on the idea of losing Bess. And you still don't know how to fix anything."

"In my reality you have Jennifer. She was your friend both before and after you adventure in 1955. The absence of Jennifer in this timeline seems to be the main thing affecting our travels in time. However, I have no idea what caused her non-existence."

"Could be something either you or your family did in the past couple of days, in the past?" offered Marty. "If you'd messed up any earlier, you would've noticed sooner."

"Point taken. When I first saw the photograph fading, only the top of our heads were fading. The catch is, we had just moved away from Hill Valley."

"So? That doesn't stop you from changing Hill Valley," Marty pointed out.

"You are quite correct. l have to ask my family exactly what they have done in the day we just left."

Bess had been quietly thinking all this time. "Couldn't you simply make Marty get a clock-tower flyer? That ought to fix the problem."

Emmett shook his head, sending his white hair flapping in several directions. "Not necessarily. The only reason Marty kept the flyer with him and remembered he had it was that Jennifer had written a note on the back. Additionally, Jennifer's actions in 2015 were instrumental in Biff's borrowing of the time machine. And just as importantly, even if fixing the presence of the flyer caused us to go to the future and Biff was still able to give his younger self the almanac, it is still extremely possible that the absence of this Marty's extra fight with Biff, combined with the effects of losing the almanac, would lead to the marriage breakdown which eventually occurred in my reality."

Marty tried to make sense of that observation. Finally he said, "Are you saying that Bess would end up on the other side of town, and I would be without any girlfriend?"

"Effectively. It would be best to go to the root of the problem. Which I shall do post-haste. Goodbye Marty, Bess."

"See ya, Doc."

Bess just nodded sadly. Then she sighed. "I'd better get home. I don't feel like piano just now."

"Yeah." Marty gave a big yawn. "It's a bit late for music. I'd say I'll see you tomorrow, but that might not happen."

Bess did not answer. She just walked away with a tear in her eye. Time travel could be painful.

10:13 PM

Nov 8 1985

Hill Valley California

Emmett arrived back at the train, having taken a detour through the Peabody Mall, as it was known in this reality. He had taken a photograph, both for future reference (even if that be in the past), and to show Clara, whom he had notified he was returning.

He opened the door, clambered in, and sat down.

"Did you find the problem?" asked Clara who looked like she had been sleeping.

"Partially. I know that the absence of Jennifer is a major factor here, but I cannot tell what we did to cause that absence." He waved the photograph in front of his wife. "This is one of the side effects."

Clara took the photo so she could look at it without her husband continuing to shake it up and down. "What happened to the other pine?"

"Apparently I ran over it when I went to 1955 to get Marty, since he was unable to use the lightning, due to Jennifer not existing to give him the 'Save the Clock-tower" flyer. I dismantled the time travel components immediately after the trip."

"Which means you never came to 1885."

"Precisely."

"So how can you fix the problem?"

Emmett sighed. "I really don't know yet. I cannot pinpoint any specific action that could cause this to happen. Do you have any ideas?"

"Not really. I stayed in the house most of the day, and did not interact much with anyone. Jules went to the grocer, though."

"True. I did intend to wake the boys, so I'll do it now." Emmett gently shook Jules awake, and Clara woke Verne.

"Are we there yet?" asked Verne sleepily.

"Yes, we're here," Clara answered. "Your father wants to ask you some questions."

"What questions are those?" inquired Jules.

"I am wondering if there was anything you did today..." Emmett consulted one of his watches, "or rather 90 years ago, which could have affected history."

Verne shook his head of unruly hair. "I didn't do nothing, except help Mom and draw my picture."

Jules looked uneasy, and Emmett noticed. "Do you have something to say Jules?"

"Uh, remember how I mentioned a girl named Annabelle?"

"Yes, you did. Go on," prompted Clara.

"This guy named Stewart was bullying her, trying to get her to do his homework. I made him stop it."

Emmett nodded to himself. "That could be our problem. How exactly did you stop him?"

"I gave him a taste of the vegetable basket, full force. It did not agree with his constitution."

"Really Jules, you shouldn't start off in a new town by getting into fights," rebuked his mother.

"I wasn't fighting, I was defending a girl."

"Did you ever think that history was originally supposed to proceed without any intervention on your part?"

"I failed to consider that in the heat of the moment, and besides, I thought we moved to Rocky Flat to get away from that issue."

"Indeed we did, but it seems not to have helped. In this reality, it seems that the problem is that Jennifer Parker does not exist."

"Are you referring to the female acquaintance of Marty McFly?"

Verne snorted. "Her name's Jennifer, of course she's female."

Emmett gave a small grin at this humour, and answered, "Yes, that is whom I am talking about. Her absence from the timeline has caused many other digressions, which I will not discuss right now. The main problem is how we can fix it. Do you remember what you said to this Stewart character?"

Jules strained his memory. "I believe my exact words were, 'Now don't you bully Annabelle, or anyone in this town ever again. If I see you so much as lay a finger on her...'."

"So you effectively prevented him from bullying anyone again. That could easily have major ramifications on future, or rather, past, events. I would say that you have to restore Stewart's bullying behaviour to restore the time line."

"How would I achieve that?"

"Simple: let him beat you."

Jules saw several problems with that idea. "But I would meet my past self."

"No, I mean you must fight him again tomorrow, the tomorrow of 90 years ago, that is."

"Oh," Jules said, a scared look in his eyes. "That could be painful."

Clara also looked disturbed. "I don't think that's safe or wise."

"It is a sight better than being erased. All you need to do is to let him think he is winning and run away. That should allow you to fix the time line without getting hurt. But if you have to choose between successfully fixing the problem and not getting hurt, choose the first."

Jules yawned. "In that case I'll go back to sleep, safe in the knowledge that I might get beaten up by a bully who lives miles away 90 years ago." He plopped down onto the floor and quickly fell asleep.

Verne shrugged. "I guess I will too. Wake me up when we're home."

Emmett sighed. "If only we could all do that. Great Scott!"

"What is it, Emmett dear?" Clara asked in a worried voice.

"I can set the autopilot to take us home, and then we can all sleep on the way."

"A wonderful idea," said Clara with relief.

2:00 AM

Oct 29 1895

Somewhere between Hill Valley California and Rocky Flat California

"WrrrrrrrrrrDzzzzzzzzzzzBvvvvvvvvvvVVVVVV BOOM!! Boom! Bzzzip!"

Emmett was roused from his slumber by the unearthly sounds of the flying steam locomotive achieving temporal displacement. He checked all the readouts and gauges until he was satisfied with his family' safety. After assuring himself, he went back to sleep.

Just over an hour later, Clara was disturbed from her sleep by an alarm. She opened her eyes to see an alarm clock ringing and the autopilot display announcing that the trip was complete, in bright red scrolling text.

"Emmett, could you shut that off?" she asked after putting up with the ringing. "Emmett?"

Jules poked his head up. "Where is Dad?"

Clara looked worried. "I don't know. I can't see him. Emmett?"

"He is not here," said Jules after looking around the interior of the train. "Maybe he went outside."

Clara shook her head. "We're still flying. He couldn't have gone unless..." her eyes widened with fear.

"Unless what, Mom?"

"Where is the folder of photographs?" she asked, speaking a little jerkily due to the fact that was breathing in short gasps.

"Here it is." Jules handed her the folder.

She drew out the photograph of Emmett and Marty in front of the clock. They were completely erased. "No!"

"What is it Mom?"

"Yeah, what happened?" asked Verne who had woken up.

"Your father... has been erased. We must fix the... timeline as soon as we can. Otherwise, we also will be erased."

"So what actions should we perform?" Jules asked a little skittishly.

Clara thought for a moment. She checked a few clocks and displays against her watch and checked a couple more photographs from the folder. Finally she said, "We do not have enough time. We need to go forward a few hours so you can fix the problem in time."

"Do you know how to do that?" asked Jules, a little uncertainly.

"I'll have to figure it out. We're going forward to 7 o'clock."

"Won't people be able to see us, and hear us?"

"Not if we stay a little way out of town. However, that will mean you must walk into town, which will take a while."

"Is there a reason why we cannot go home now while it is still dark?"

"Yes. If we did that, we would need to wait for several hours, and I think that may be too long."

"You're the mom, Mom. I think I know how to change the time setting." Jules started hitting keys until the right time was shown, and then corrected it to show the right day and time again. "I think that should be correct."

Clara searched through the displays. "I think we need new fuel for the.. fusion generator. Do you remember where to fill it?"

Jules didn't, but he knew how to find out. "Verne, do you know where the fusion-generator filling port is located?"

"Huh?"

"Where does Dad put garbage into the Mr. Fusion thing?"

"Um, I think it's in the tender somewhere."

"Wonderful. I'll go and fill it up with whatever variety of herbaceous matter is freely available in the vicinity."

"Can't ya just stick plants in?"

Jules didn't get a chance to answer, because Clara quickly cut in, saying, " We must land first."

"Oh. It would be somewhat detrimental to our mission were I to venture out of this vehicle whilst it is still hovering at such a dangerous height."

"Yeah, that and it would be bad if you tried walking out of the train while we're still up here and you fell all the way down to the ground. Maybe I could put that in the next part of my comic."

"That's all very nice," Clara replied hurriedly, "but we need to figure out how to land."

Jules forgot the nasty comment he was concocting for Verne's benefit, and turned his attention to the control panel. After a quick glance, he pointed at a rectangular purple button, which read, 'Auto-Land'.

"That looks like the right button," agreed Clara. "Push it."

Jules pressed the button and the locomotive began to descend. Verne looked out the window and cried, "We're headin' for a tree! Turn to the... uh, the left."

Jules nudged the control lever to the left a little way, and, after analysing the train's response, he shoved it a bit further.

"We're missin' it now."

"Good work boys," their mother complimented as the train softly touched the barren earth. "I'm fairly certain _this_ should open the door." She pressed a button on Emmett's remote she had found on the floor, and was rewarded by the whirring of a motor.

Jules clambered out and dashed back to the tender. He opened several hatches and doors before finding the filling chute. He noticed a dead rabbit, which had been stunned by the hover-jets, and dropped it in, following it with a rather unhealthy chocolate bar which he had removed from Verne's candy stash. He started to stuff the crumpled wrapper into his pocket, but thought better of it and dropped the evidence into the chute as well. He secured the screw-on cap, closed the hatch, and climbed back into the cab.

"We can now proceed," he announced grandly.

"Great. Can we go now?" asked Verne.

"Yessssss!" Jules hissed in an aggravated voice.

"Really Jules, you needn't get mad. If you spoke in a way which he could understand, he wouldn't need to ask you."

"That's his fault, not mine."

"Jules, you're the oldest, and you should be more responsible and caring towards your younger brother. You can't expect him to know everything you do."

Jules nodded, the stubborn look in his eyes receding like fog warmed by the sunbeams that were his mother's reasoning voice. "We can now proceed. That means the same as go, Verne."

"Okay. D'you know how to make us fly again Mom?"

"I'm pretty sure it's these controls," she said, pointing at an array of levers and some buttons. "The display says the hover systems are still engaged, so I think we can just pull the UP lever and it should fly."

"Sounds correct to me," affirmed Jules.

Clara pulled the lever, and let the train rise into the air. After it was high enough in the sky, she pulled the UP lever back to the middle and opened the forward throttle, and blasted forwards.

"Woah!" called Verne from where he had landed on the floor.

"Hold onto something, or it'll happen again," admonished Jules.

The train continued to accelerate until it reached a steady 75 miles per hour. Clara gave the lever a bit more of a push, and the train accelerated to 78, 81, 83, 85, 86, 87, 88, accompanied by whirring and electrical popping sounds. Boom! Boom! Ziiiiip!" The train and remaining Brown family were blasted into the morning.


	9. Jules' task

Chapter 9

7:00 AM

Oct 29 1895

Outside Rocky Flat, California

"What do we do now?" asked Jules after things had died down."

"We find a good place to land, and sleep for an hour. Then you can walk into town."

"And do what?"

"Today is a school day, so you should pretend to be going to school and get in a fight with Stewart. Do you know where the school is?"

"Yes, Annabelle pointed it out to me. And she said there's a sweet shop where most of the kids meet up prior to school, to keep out of the cold without having to be in the school."

"That sounds like a good place to go. And this looks like a good place to land," she added, spying some large boulders.

Together, Jules and Clara guided the train safely behind the boulders. Clara set the alarm for 8 o'clock, and everyone quickly fell back asleep.

"Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr"

Clara reached up and shut off the alarm. Jules yawned and rubbed his eyes. He stood and pulled on his coat. "Here goes everything."

Clara handed him a small pack. "This isn't a school bag, but it will do well enough. Try not to swing it at anyone."

"Certainly. See you in an hour, I hope."

"And your father too, I hope."

"Goodbye Verne. Try not to break anything while I'm gone."

"Bye Jules. Don't get any bones broken fighting."

"I'm not fighting; I'm just acting and running away."

"You hope."

Jules ignored Verne and opened the door to head into town.

8:20 AM

Oct 29 1895

Rocky Flat, Hill Valley

Jules stood outside the sweetshop, swallowing nervously. He steeled his nerves and opened the door. A small bell jingled with a happy tone.

Several heads turned. "Hello Jules," said Annabelle chirped.

"Uh, hi. Uh..." Jules stuttered. He wasn't sure quite what to say. He stepped backward, and bumped into someone.

"Hey!" called the person from behind him.

Jules whirled around. He gulped when he saw whom he bumped.

So did Stewart.

Jules recovered quickly, and said in a fake snarl, "What do you think you're doing here?"

"Uh..." there was fear in Stewart' eyes. "I guess I'll leave."

"Good guess. Now go!"

As Stewart picked up his school things, several stunned children looked on. Annabelle had a big smile on her face, as if she was glad to see Stewart pushed around for a change.

Stewart sidled slowly out of the shop. Then he looked around the room, wondering why he was letting all his classmates see him pushed around by someone smaller than himself. He hesitated.

That was what Jules was waiting for. "I said, leave!" he growled, giving Stewart a shove.

Stewart's temper surpassed his fear: he instantly turned and swung at Jules. Jules stepped back, dodging Stewart's balled fist. Stewart lunged at Jules' chest, and Jules sidestepped, crashing into a table. Stewart strode towards him, and he responded by faking a swing.

Stewart edged backward, and Jules vaulted over an empty chair on his way to the exit. He ran out at top speed with Stewart charging after him. He fled down the icy street, getting a good lead on the bully.

Jules was satisfied that his plan was working. Just one more block to sprint and... "Uh oh. This is a negative development."

A trio of tough looking boys appeared from around the corner of the leather smith's shop, in front of Jules. "Warren! Crunch! Maxie!" called Stewart. "Get him!"

The three spread out and came at Jules from different directions. Jules immediately began to dash toward the most dangerous looking one, Crunch. Crunch looked surprised at the kid running towards him, and toppled to the ground as Jules threw himself at the boy' ankles.

Jules jumped back up again, hotly pursued by another boy. He was startled when he heard a loud cry of, "War!" from right behind him: his pursuer was likely Warren. Jules changed tactics and ran into a china shop.

"Is there a back door to this place?" he asked the startled man behind the counter.

"Yeah, it's in the back. But..."'

Jules didn't stop to listen, but barrelled out of the back of the shop. He ran down the empty street, only to see Stewart appear and start running towards him.

He skidded to a stop and headed the other way. For a while, he thought he was escaping, but after running a little distance, he felt strange. He stumbled a few and sat down heavily. He tried to struggle up again, but had trouble moving. He managed to grab the side of a wagon, and raised himself to his feet.

Wham! Stewart shoved him against the wagon. He collapsed to the ground. "Hold him up," commanded Stewart. Jules felt himself being grabbed by Maxie and being held steady. He dropped and twisted free, forcing himself to rise and face his attacker. He aimed a punch at Maxie. It didn't land: his hand and arm passed right through Maxie's chest. Before he had a chance to think about what was happening, Stewart's fist connected with his skull and he collapsed onto the frosty ground, his shoulder passing through the wagon.

Stewart didn't give Jules another thought. If he had, he might have noticed that several parts of the boy's body had turned transparent. Instead, he jogged back to the sweetshop, flanked by Maxie and soon joined by Crunch and Warren. The other children were already filing out of the sweetshop, chattering among themselves. Stewart made a beeline toward Annabelle.

"Hand over the homework," he said abruptly.

Annabelle's face was downcast as she removed several sheets of paper from her school bag and handed them to the bully.

"And if anyone dares speak about this..." Stewart left the threat hanging. Warren balled a fist, and several of the other children nodded in resignation.

Ten minutes later, Jules stirred slightly. He felt a strong pain in his head. He gingerly opened his eyes to see wooden beams above him. He rolled over until he could see the empty sky. Slowly, he sat up and brought his hand to his forehead. He felt a sizable bruise, but no blood.

What had happened? He thought about what had just occurred. He remembered having difficulty running and moving. He also remembered how his arm had gone right through the bully's body as if it wasn't there.

He suddenly realised: it was his arm that hadn't been there, because it was being erased. He breathed out heavily. He had come so close to being completely erased, but here he was. That could only mean one thing: Stewart's knocking him out had repaired the timeline.

He sighed with relief. His task was complete and his family was safe. He reached into his pocket where he had earlier put the photograph of Peabody Mall. The sign in the photograph no longer read "Peabody Mall", and it fortunately did not read "Twin Pines Mall" either. No, it was properly restored to their altered state of reading "Lone Pine Mall". Jules was sorry that he wasn't awake to see the change occur.

Pleased that his job was done, Jules started to walk tenderly back to the train.

9:06 am

Oct 29 1895

Rocky Flat California

Jules finally finished his slow trek to the train. He knew his parents would be worried, and wished he had thought to take a radio with him. As he wandered behind the concealing boulders, the door of the train opened in welcome. A figure stepped out.

"Dad!"

"Hi Jules. You did it."

"Yeah, I did. I believe everything has returned to its previous state, judging by the photograph I took with me," Jules answered. Then he asked, "How would you describe the experience of being completely erased?"

"It was somewhat... Jules! Your forehead!"

Clara was out of the train in an instant. "What's wrong?"

"Uh, merely a bruise," stammered Jules.

Ten minutes later, Jules had endured having every bone in his body counted by his mother and was lying down with a cold-pack out of the box of future medical supplies stored in the tender. He had managed to get out bits of his story in between being mothered and smothered. When Clara declared him to be in a stable condition, he quickly joined Verne in catching up on missed sleep.

When Clara was sure Jules was fast asleep, she joined her husband, who was sitting on the stairs in the warm sun. "I'm proud of Jules," she began.

"Yes, he did well today, despite the opposition. Stewart and his cronies don't sound like the sort of company I want Jules to keep."

"Verne neither. I'm relieved that Verne had fallen back to sleep before I got erased. That would have been a bad experience for him."

Emmett nodded. "I'm glad no one had to see me being erased. But there's something even better than that."

"Which is?" wondered Clara, shivering slightly as the cold wind picked up.

"We are all here now, and I do not intend to let anything take that away from us. That is, er, I won't let anything take _us_ away."

Clara smiled. "How do you intend to make that happen?"

"By moving back to the future."

"Really? To your time when people have been to the moon and medicine is advanced and..."

"And some people call me a crackpot, or worse. Yes, we're going _then_."

"When?"

Emmett rubbed his hands together. "In about ninety years."

"No, I mean when are leaving?" Clara asked with excitement in her voice.

Emmett gave a good-humoured grin. "I knew perfectly well what you meant. We will leave as soon as the boys have had some sleep."

"What about us?"

"Being erased makes me feel rather rested. What about you?"

"I certainly agree with that. What to you have in mind while we wait?"

"We can just keep doing what we are doing now: talk. We have a lot of things to consider. Does dropping in on Marty again and then going house shopping sound like a good game plan?"

"Game plan?"

"Sorry, that's a bit of future sports slang. A rather unnecessary one at that. We'll visit Marty the day after last time."

"Why the next day, dear? And why did we go to the date we did last time?"

"I went forward two weeks just to give Marty a bit of a break and let him settle back into normal life in his own time. I could have gone back to the Sunday on which we had picked up Einstein and given Marty the picture, but there's little point in doing everything in the same day. The same goes for this trip: while Marty shouldn't remember our last visit, there is no point in confusing matters by revisiting the same point in time."

"I think I begin to understand. But why house shopping?"

"You don't expect to bring up two boys in that tiny garage of mine, do you?"

"Certainly not. I'm surprised you managed to..."

"Not that conversation again. At least, not yet. There's something important I need to do first"

"Something important? Whatever is that?"

Emmett leaned in close and gave Clara a big, long kiss.


	10. Marty finds a coin

Chapter 10

11:30 am

Nov 9 1985

Marty McFly walked out of the general store holding a bottle of milk, a carton of eggs and a newspaper in a bag. In his opinion it was much too early in the weekend to be out, but his mother had insisted. He shivered in the chilling wind. A freak storm had hit the town the previous night, bringing a light fall of snow. This was absolutely unheard of in Hill Valley, especially for the time of year.

Marty observed that the snow was already turning into slush. In fact, the snow was not even firm enough to hold a coin. Coin?

He reached down with his free hand to find it was only a nickel, an old one. "_I guess this is what they call cold cash._" He looked closer at the year on the coin and did a perfect double-take. "_1894? That could only mean..._"

He looked around at what was left of footprints. There was an assortment of different sizes shoes, including one with an exceptionally long stride and some dog prints. Marty quickly tracked the prints to a bakery a block away. He barged through the door, nearly bowling over a woman standing in the line.

"Oh, sorry Ma'am. I'm kinda in a hur..."

"Marty!"

"Clara! Just one of the very people I was looking for." He looked in front of Clara to see who was with her. "Hi Doc."

"Marty, just the person we were about to visit. What are you doing here?"

"I'm out picking up some stuff for my Mom. Is this yours?" He held out the coin.

"Indeed it is. I'm glad you found it. Imagine what would have happened if someone else found it," Emmett said in a half relieved, half worried voice.

"Imagine what might have happened if Clara had called me Clint, or Mr. Eastwood."

Before anyone could answer, the baker's assistant called, "May I take your order?"

Emmett spun around to face the counter and rattled off, "I'll have one cinnamon bun, one chocolate éclairs, and two pieces of vanilla slice."

As the woman began to collect the requested items, Marty turned to the back of the store, wondering if he would find some more Browns who would be eating the vanilla slice. He quickly located Jules and Verne who were sitting on a small bench gazing at the drink machines. He walked over to them.

"Hi Jules, hi Verne. I'm Marty McFly."

They instantly turned to him.

"Hi Marty."

"Greetings and salutations. Verne, that means the same thing as hi."

"Oh?"

Marty laughed at this exchange. "You boys have sure grown since last time I saw you. I guess it's been a lot more than two weeks for you."

Jules nodded and said quietly, "Not in here."

"Yeah, that's a good idea. Uh, the snow's nice."

"It makes really slushy snowballs," Verne said excitedly.

Jules rolled his eyes, and Marty noticed a large wet patch on his shoulder. "I see you've experimented with them already."

"Sure have, but Dad made me stop. He had to make Jules let go of me too."

"Let's go boys. The food's ready," Emmett called.

The brothers scurried out of the shop, followed closely by Marty. They quickly found a park bench and brushed off what was left of the snow. When they had all sat down, Marty asked, "So what brings you do this time? I mean, I'm glad to see you, but I'm sure there must be some particular reason why you're here."

"Yes there is," answered Emmett. "I need to ask you, how's Jennifer?"

"Jennifer?"

"Yes, Jennifer Parker. Do you know who and where she is?"

"Of course, Doc. She's visiting her Grandma. She does that from time to time. What's the big deal?"

"Ah, now that's a very long story. How about we move somewhere warmer for that? I don't know about you, but Clara's teeth are chattering. I can hear them."

"Oh Emmett, don't tease."

"It really is that cold. What would you say to relocating to my house?"

"He means his garage," corrected Clara.

Emmett gave her a playful nudge for that comment, and Marty answered, "I gotta get this stuff back home to my Mom, then I can come over. But first I need to remember where I parked my truck. It's been weird; having a truck I don't remember getting.

"Indeed it would be unsettling. It's just like the time when I sent you the letter from 1885: it changed my past, causing me to dress you in those ridiculous cowboy clothes. Because that was causes by my actions in the past, I couldn't..."

"Emmett dear, you must let Marty go home. His mother is waiting," admonished Clara. "You can finish this later."

"Thanks Clara," said Marty gratefully. "See you all in half an hour." Marty waved to the boys as he left.

Jules and Verne waved goodbye with sticky fingers.

"Wait a minute. Wait a minute, Doc. Are you telling me that in this other messed up reality, Bess Tannen was my girlfriend?"

"Precisely!"

"Heavy. So that made me get stuck in 55 a bit longer and you destroyed the DeLorean after rescuing me instead of going to the future?"

"In short."

"And it was all due to Jules stopping this Stewart goon from bullying some Annabelle chick, over in Rocky Flat."

"So it seems. The exact path of the effects of the disturbance remains to be determined. In any case, the most relevant change is the absence of Jennifer, despite the existence of some Parkers in town. It seems that he mother's side of the family has changed."

"Yeah, well I'll ask her about her mother's family history some time."

"Good idea. I'd better let you get home now, and we should be going too. Boys!"

Jules and Verne, who were meddling with an electronic circuit and Einstein respectively, wandered over to where Emmett, Clara, and Marty were talking. "You called, Dad?" Jules asked.

"Yes. We'd better get going now."

"Where are you going, Doc?"

"House shopping," Emmett answered.

"Whoa, are you... moving back... to the present?"

"We most certainly are. I can't justify staying in the past any longer, after the recent accident."

"Cool. So I guess you're looking for a place where your whole family can live."

"Yes. And I also need plenty of space to secretly store the train and to continue working on other experiments."

"Can you afford that? I mean, it would be hard to buy a big enough place from selling a little lot like this."

"Actually, I could easily get a very good price for this place. Several businesses have had their eyes all over it. They've been trying to buy it out from under me for nearly ten years."

"That's great. I guess I'll let you get on with it. But what will people say when you show up with a wife and kids? How can you explain it?"

Emmett gave a wry grin. "Do you think I need to explain anything I do to anyone in this town? With the general opinion of me, I could do anything and no one would think any less of me. And the few people who understand me wouldn't react either. My cover story is that Clara was teaching school in another state, and couldn't leave her job. It's a big stretch, but seeing as I've spend so much time out of town, people will think they understand."

"And you'll let them think that." offered Marty.

"Of course. People will come up with a logical explanation for anything, if you let them."

"But what about records and stuff?"

Emmett gave another wry grin. "The less you know, the less you will need to lie. Let it suffice to say that I plan to make good use of the time machine."

Marty gave a chuckle. "Right, I don't want to know about it. I'm feeling worried enough already, what with the Libyans."

"What exactly happened about them?" Emmett asked. "All I know is that there was a tiny article in the paper about their crashing into the photo stand. Other than that, nothing seems to have come out."

"Yeah, not much has happened. They hit the booth so hard that only one of them survived the crash, and he's been in such a critical condition that he hasn't said anything. I heard that the feds had found some of their plans, which fortunately did not mention you at all."

"I did maintain as much distance from them as I could," interrupted Emmett.

Marty laughed. "Not enough. It was dumb to even talk with them in the first place. Anyhow, the surviving terrorist is in pretty hot water, so if he ever gets out of the hospital, he'll be straight into prison or out of the country or something."

"That's good. I'm glad I took precautions to ensure that nothing radioactive could be traced back to me: I got rid of all that in the future, when I converted to fusion power."

Marty chuckled at the phrase 'I got rid of all that in the future', finding the use of the past tense when referring to the future somewhat laughable. "That reminds me, where is the time machine, at the moment?"

"In the woods. We'd better leave now. I'd like to get a good start on the house search before we go back."

"Back where? I mean, back when? To 1895?"

"Not directly. First we're going back to the future."

Verne jumped up and down. "You mean we're goin' to three thousand and thirteen?"

Jules shook his head madly. "I believe you mean 2015."

"Yeah, that place. No, that time, right?" the boy added, hoping he was correct.

"Correct," said his father. "We'll make a stop there on the way home. There is a couple of components I need to buy, and I'm sure you boys would enjoy seeing the future again."

Marty laughed, making the joke, "On the way home? It's thirty years out of your way. Speaking of which, I'd better be on my way."

"In that case, we'll see you in the future. Both next week and next century."

"Sure thing Doc. I just better make it a good one this time."

"You do that Marty. We'd better get started on _our_ future."

"See you then." Marty waved to the boys and Clara and left the garage to drive home. Emmett locked up his old house and he and his family started walking to the nearest real-estate office in search of their new home.

The end. Or is it just the beginning?


End file.
